Chapter 287
Chapter 287
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 287
Chapter Title: Heavenly Realm
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Song Mountain
Paht!
I headed to Henan Province first. Asking locals for directions, I made my way toward Song Mountain. Pushing through the underbrush, I couldn't help but find it strange.
'Come to think of it, despite all these reincarnations, this is my first time coming to Song Mountain.'
Song Mountain was home to the Shaolin Temple, the leader of the Nine Great Sects. The temple's history stretched back well over a millennium, on par with the White Lotus Cult. Martial arts had existed before Shaolin, but the fact that it alone endured to this day spoke volumes of its greatness.
A sudden thought struck me: perhaps Shaolin had suffered a massacre like Mount Hua Sect. Rather than approaching openly, sneaking in seemed wiser. If I'd gone straight to Mount Hua, those flies might have manipulated the humans' minds to play innocent.
Soon, the clustered peaks of Song Mountain came into view from afar. I gazed at the mountain's distant panorama for a moment before heading to a nearby village. Slipping a few silver coins into the villagers' hands, I extracted some information.
"Anything suspicious? Ain't been nothin' like that..."
A farmer scratched his head in bewilderment.
"The monks come down to the village now and then. Or folks from lay families might buy supplies for 'em..."
"No strange phenomena at all?"
"Reckon not..."
"Thank you."
I left the farmer's house. Then I entered Song Mountain, heading along a deserted mountain path. I'd mapped out key peaks like Little Room Peak, the Shaolin stronghold, so I decided to check the others first. Mount Tai Old Man might be hiding somewhere out of Shaolin's sight.
Whish!
Searching sixteen of Song Mountain's seventy-two peaks took about a day. I heightened my senses to the extreme, probing for anything suspicious, but found nothing unusual. Pausing to rest in a cave, I pondered.
'Maybe I should learn sorcery.'
Dealing with those flies at Mount Hua taught me something. Sorcerers outclassed martial artists against such foes. Spiritual body transformation was a nightmare for martial artists, but Ye Dongbin said sorcerers had over ten countermeasures. Given how few martial artists reached the Realm of Intent, acquiring sorcery seemed essential moving forward.
I needed defensive abilities against demons!
Of course, I was in prime position to learn sorcery now. Years carrying the dharma vessel from Miho had boosted my potential, and decades with the Demon Sword seemed to have awakened my spiritual senses. Having hit my limits in martial arts anyway, sorcery might not be a bad pivot.
Shaking off my thoughts, I pressed on. My profound inner energy let me recover fully with a short break, and I stayed vital without food or drink.
For the next three days or so, I roamed Song Mountain searching for traces of Mount Tai Old Man. I checked for the other races too, but nothing turned up. I'd covered about seventy percent of the area.
...Time to enter Shaolin.
Like at Mount Hua, I approached cautiously, bracing for those other races. Scaling treacherous ridges and cliffs avoided notice. From an upper peak, I peered at Shaolin's interior with the naked eye.
'The monks seem fine...'
It looked normal on the surface. But I couldn't assume, so I prepared to slip inside using Soul Vanquishing Step. Deeper in, something might show.
That was when I tried to dash in with Soul Vanquishing Step.
[Young hero. Hold.]
I froze.
An abrupt voice transmission from somewhere halted my Soul Vanquishing Step. Balancing on one foot on a cliffside branch, I waited. I tried sensing the sender's position but got nothing clear.
The mysterious expert transmitted again.
[I sensed you scouting Song Mountain these past days. You seemed harmless, so I let it be. But I can't stand by while you infiltrate our headquarters.]
I vaguely pinpointed it now. Not precisely, but about three hundred zhang away, warily watching me. I sent back a transmission.
[Who are you?]
[This poor monk is Myeongjeong of Shaolin Temple.]
Abbot Myeongjeong!
I'd never heard the name, which threw me off. Someone of that caliber should be Shaolin's top expert, Divine Monk Myeongho, but no. The sensed skill level was at least absolute peak, amplifying my surprise.
'A monk of the Myeong generation like Divine Monk Myeongho... but such an expert buried in obscurity at Shaolin?'
It hinted at Shaolin's hidden strength. Masters like Myeongjeong must lurk everywhere. Overwhelming so many absolute peak experts was beyond my current ability.
I decided to avoid combat, leaping up to the cliff top. I replied respectfully.
[Mount Hua Sect was wiped out recently. Demonic other races were involved, so I was checking if Shaolin suffered the same.]
Myeongjeong fell silent, then transmitted.
[The heavens grow chaotic, and I wondered what might come. Mount Hua fell! But Shaolin faces no such crisis.]
[Really?]
[We appreciate your concern for justice, young hero, but our affairs are ours to handle.]
His next transmission chilled me.
[Still, we must speak with you about the circumstances.]
Swish swish swish!!
Presences surged from all sides—powerful auras. They reached my cliff swiftly.
Three in total. All elderly high monks with long beards, draped in kasaya robes, radiating exceptional inner energy. The center one eyed me sharply and spoke.
"This poor monk is Myeongjeong. Beside me are Myeong-u and Myeongjin."
"......!!"
"Young hero. Reveal your identity."
I let out a low groan.
Shaolin's highest-ranking Myeong generation elders! Three stood before me. Incredibly, each boasted absolute peak prowess. Considering their decades-cultivated Buddhist profundity, it was like facing three leaders of the Nine Great Sects.
'Fighting them head-on would mean certain death, multiple times over!'
Even Thunderclap Command couldn't withstand their combined assault.
These were the backbone of righteous martial arts, the true pillars upholding Shaolin, the North Star of the age. Without my reincarnated accumulations, I'd never dare look up at them. After a moment's thought, I spoke.
"Mount Hua's destruction is true. News hasn't reached here yet due to distance, but they fell to other races' attack. Elders including the sect leader perished. I'm coming from aiding them."
"You omitted something vital. Who are you, young hero, and why visit Mount Hua then our temple in sequence?"
"......"
"Your skills belie your age, so we take you for a rejuvenated elder. Perhaps a White Lotus elite."
That made sense from their view—a prodigy rejuvenated elder or White Lotus member. But I denied firmly.
"No. To explain, I'm currently seeking Mount Tai Old Man across the Five Mountains. That's why I stopped at Mount Hua and Shaolin sequentially."
Interest flickered in Myeongjeong's eyes.
"Mount Tai Old Man?"
"Yes."
"Why seek him?"
I figured sharing some intel with Shaolin was wise now. Mount Tai Old Man was suspicious, and alerting them wasn't bad. I spoke slowly.
"I've learned he contacts the Imperial Palace deeply. His movements are mysterious, unknown to most, yet he roams the Five Mountains fixated on sacrificial rites. Linking to the palace made him too suspicious, so I'm investigating."
"Hmm...!!"
Myeongjeong hummed, then said.
"Why does someone like you care? We can only see you as a White Lotus spy."
I countered calmly.
"If I were White Lotus, I wouldn't skulk so clumsily. I'd bring guardian warriors to face you. Right?"
"......"
"I apologize for alarming you. Tell me of Mount Tai Old Man's movements, and I swear to leave Song Mountain never to return."
Myeongjeong eyed Myeongjin and Myeong-u, silent for a while—likely conferring via transmission. I crossed my arms and waited. Soon, Myeongjeong spoke.
"Could you share your name and title, young hero?"
"I am called Little Bear."
"Little Bear hero. Your concerns haven't befallen Shaolin. Mount Tai Old Man visited our headquarters a year ago but hasn't since."
They seemed to deem forcible restraint too risky, opting to placate and send me off. Half a success, I thought, replying.
"A year ago? Did he act strangely then?"
His answer widened my eyes.
"He performed a rite at the Heavenly Ladder Altar before leaving."
"......!!"
Heavenly Ladder Altar!
Wasn't that from Heng Mountain tales? Masking shock, I said.
"I thought the Heavenly Ladder Altar was on Heng Mountain. There's one on Song Mountain too?"
"Young hero. Each of the Five Mountains has one. They're ancient relics of the faith in the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, scattered about."
Unbelievable. Time constraints kept me from fully searching Hengshan or Huashan, but one per mountain? As sites with heavenly ladders symbolizing heaven-earth links, it was profoundly meaningful.
'I must tell Monk Mangnyang!'
So Mount Tai Old Man toured the Five Mountains to rite at each Heavenly Ladder Altar? What drove his sacrifices? Mulling it, I told Myeongjeong.
"...I'd desperately like to visit the Heavenly Ladder Altar. Is there no way?"
"No."
Myeongjeong was firm.
"You refuse to clarify your identity. We're grateful for the Mount Tai Old Man info, but its veracity is unknown. As Shaolin's guardians, we can't let you roam Song Mountain freely."
His stance was ironclad. Minimal info given—now leave. He might see this as generous concession. Resigned, I nodded.
"Then... farewell."
That was when.
[Wait!]
A booming transmission rang out, an awesome pressure crushing heaven and earth. Its dread force staggered me and Shaolin's three elders alike. Absorbing it, I felt baffled.
'What... what insane inner energy?!'
Pure potential matched mine? He unleashed fully; I restrained. Yet matching my reincarnation-earned depth as a mere martial artist was absurd.
Whoooong!
A gale swept in as a robed monk descended from the sky like a heavenly being. Seeing him, I groaned.
"Divine Monk...!!"
Shaolin's supreme expert, one of the Three Great Righteous Eccentrics: Divine Monk Myeongho!
I'd seen him with Jin So-cheong at Wudang Sect, so I remembered clearly. Now he floated down before me. The Divine Monk eyed me steadily, then spoke.
"Monk Mangnyang told me of you. Said you'd come today, and here you are."
"Pardon?"
He spun around.
"Follow me. I'll show you the Heavenly Ladder Altar."
============================ Works Afterword ============================
Slightly revised.